Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a government whip. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local government licensing in 2004. The Comptroller had a white staff of office, usually seen in portraits–and so was a counterpart to Black Rod.[1]
History
"Comptroller" is the archaic spelling of "controller", recorded since c.1500 (in a number of British titles, later also in the USA). The variant in spelling results from the contaminating influence (so-called popular etymology) of French compte "account".
In modern times, the Comptroller has become a less prominent position in British politics. He is one of the Government whips in the House of Commons, and his responsibilities for the Royal Household are now purely nominal, except being occasionally called upon to act as an usher at Royal Garden Parties. The current Comptroller of the Household is Don Foster.
Known incumbents
15th century
- c1400 Sir Robert Lytton
- 1402–1413: John Spencer
- 1432–c1450: Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley[2]
- 1460: Thomas Charlton[3]
- 1461–?1470: Sir John Scott
- 1471–1475: Sir William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal[4][5][6]
- 1475–1481: Sir Robert Wingfield[5]
- 1481–1483: Sir William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal[4][5][6]
- 1483–1485: Sir Robert Percy of Scotton[5]
- 1485–1489: Sir Richard Edgecumbe[7]
- 1489?–1492: Sir Roger Tocotes[7]
- 1492–1494: vacant
- 1494–1506: Sir Richard Guildford[7]
16th century
- 1507–1509: Sir John Hussey[7]
- 1509–1519: Sir Edward Poynings[7]
- Sir Thomas Parr[4]
- 1519–1521: Sir Thomas Boleyn[7]
- 1521–1532: Sir Henry Guildford[7]
- 1532–1537: Sir William Paulet[7]
- 1537–1539: Sir John Russell[7]
- 1539–1540: Sir William Kingston[7]
- 1540–1547: Sir John Gage[7]
- 1547–1550: Sir William Paget[7]
- 1550–1552: Sir Richard Wingfield[7]
- 1552–1553: Sir Richard Cotton[7]
- 1553–1557: Sir Robert Rochester[7]
- 1557–1558: Sir Thomas Cornwallis[7]
- 1558–1559: Sir Thomas Parry[7]
- 1559–1568: Sir Edward Rogers[7]
- 1568–1570: vacant
- 1570–1590: Sir James Croft[7]
- 1590–1596: vacant
- 1596–1600: William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury[7]
17th century
- c1603: William Pitt
- 1616–1618: Sir Thomas Edmonds[7][8]
- 1618–1622: Sir Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland (so created 1620)[7]
- 1622–1627: Sir John Suckling[7]
- 1627–1629: Sir John Savile,[7] created a baron in 1628.
- 1629–1639: Henry Vane the Elder[7]
- 1639–1641: Sir Thomas Jermyn[7]
- 1641–1643: Sir Peter Wyche[7]
- 1643–1646: Christopher Hatton, 1st Baron Hatton[7]
- 1660–1662: Sir Charles Berkeley
- 1662–1666: Sir Hugh Pollard, 2nd Baronet
- 1666–1668: Sir Thomas Clifford
- 1668–1672: Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport
- 1672–1687: William Maynard, 2nd Baron Maynard
- 1687–1688: Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave
- 1689–1702: Thomas Wharton, 5th Baron Wharton
18th century
- 1702–1704: Sir Edward Seymour, Bt
- 1704–1708: Sir Thomas Mansell, Bt
- 1708: The Earl of Cholmondeley
- 1708–1709: Sir Thomas Felton, Bt
- 1709–1711: Sir John Holland, Bt
- 1711–1712: The Lord Lansdowne
- 1713–1714: Sir John Stonhouse, Bt
- 1714–1720: Hugh Boscawen
- 1720–1725: Paul Methuen
- 1725–1730: Lord Finch
- 1730–1754: Sir Conyers Darcy
- 1754–1756: The Earl of Hillsborough
- 1756: Lord Hobart
- 1756–1761: The Lord Edgcumbe
- 1761: The Earl of Powis
- 1761–1762: Lord George Cavendish
- 1762–1763: Humphry Morice
- 1763–1765: Lord Charles Spencer
- 1765–1774: Thomas Pelham
- 1774–1777: Sir William Meredith, Bt
- 1777–1779: The Lord Onslow
- 1779–1782: Sir Richard Worsley, Bt
- 1782–1784: The Earl Ludlow
- 1784–1787: The Viscount Galway
- 1787–1790: Hon. John Villiers
- 1790–1791: Hon. Dudley Ryder
- 1791–1797: The Earl of Macclesfield
- 1797–1804: Lord Charles Somerset
19th century
- 1804–1812: Lord George Thynne
- 1812–1830: Lord George Beresford
- 1830–1834: Lord Robert Grosvenor
- 1834–1835: Hon. Henry Lowry-Corry
- 1835–1841: Hon. George Byng
- 1841: Lord Marcus Hill
- 1841–1846: Hon. George Dawson-Damer
- 1846–1847: Lord Marcus Hill
- 1847–1851: Hon. William Lascelles
- 1851–1852: Earl of Mulgrave
- 1852: Hon. George Weld-Forester
- 1853–1856: Viscount Drumlanrig
- 1856–1858: Viscount Castlerosse
- 1858–1859: Hon. George Weld-Forester
- 1859–1866: Lord Proby
- 1866–1868: Viscount Royston
- 1868–1874: Lord Otho FitzGerald
- 1874–1879: Lord Henry Somerset
- 1879–1880: Earl of Yarmouth
- 1880–1885: The Lord Kensington
- 1885–1886: Lord Arthur Hill
- 1886: Edward Marjoribanks
- 1886–1892: Lord Arthur Hill
- 1892–1895: George Leveson-Gower
- 1895–1898: Lord Arthur Hill
- 1898–1905: The Viscount Valentia
20th century
- 1905–1909: Master of Elibank
- 1909–1912: The Earl of Liverpool
- 1912–1915: The Lord Saye and Sele
- 1915–1916: Charles Henry Roberts
- 1916–1919: Sir Edwin Cornwall
- 1919–1921: George Frederick Stanley
- 1921–1924: Harry Barnston
- 1924: John Allen Parkinson
- 1924–1928: Sir Harry Barnston
- 1928–1929: Sir William Cope
- 1929–1931: Thomas Henderson
- 1931: Goronwy Owen
- 1931–1932: Walter Rea
- 1932–1935: Sir Frederick Penny, Bt
- 1935: Sir Victor Warrender, Bt
- 1935: George Bowyer
- 1935–1937: Sir Lambert Ward
- 1937: Sir George Frederick Davies
- 1937–1939: Charles Waterhouse
- 1939–1940: Charles Kerr
- 1940–1942: William Whiteley
- 1942–1945: William John
- 1945: George Mathers
- 1945: Leslie Pym
- 1945–1946: Arthur Pearson
- 1946: Michael Stewart
- 1946–1951: Frank Collindridge
- 1951–1954: Roger Conant
- 1954–1955: Tam Galbraith
- 1955–1957: Hendrie Oakshott
- 1957–1958: Gerald Wills
- 1958–1959: Edward Wakefield
- 1959–1961: Harwood Harrison
- 1961–1964: Robin Chichester-Clark
- 1964–1966: Charles Grey
- 1966–1967: William Whitlock
- 1967–1968: William Howie
- 1968–1970: Ioan Evans
- 1970: Walter Elliot
- 1970–1972: Reginald Eyre
- 1972–1973: Bernard Weatherill
- 1973–1974: Walter Clegg
- 1974–1978: Joseph Harper
- 1978–1979: James Hamilton
- 1979–1981: Spencer le Marchant
- 1981–1983: Anthony Berry
- 1983–1986: Carol Mather
- 1986–1988: Robert Boscawen
- 1988–1989: Tristan Garel-Jones
- 1989–1990: Alastair Goodlad
- 1990: Sir George Young, 6th Baronet
- 1990–1995: David Lightbown
- 1995–1997: Timothy Wood
- 1997–2008: Tommy McAvoy
21st century
- 2008–2010: John Spellar
- 2010–2013: Alistair Carmichael
- 2013-: Don Foster
Notes
- ↑ Astington, John (1999). English Court Theatre, 1558–1642. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-521-64065-7.
- ↑ The history of the house of Stanley, etc p.41
- ↑ "Charlton, Sir Thomas". Oxford DNB. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2
"Parr, William (1434-1483?)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Household of Edward IV, Manchester University Press ND. Google ebook
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The DNB gives Sir William Parr as Comptroller of the Household from 1471-1483; Household of Edward IV gives Parr's office dates as 1471-1475 and again in 1481-1483.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 7.25 7.26 7.27 Green Cloth officeholders
- ↑ J. Palmer, A Biographical History of England (1824), 86–7.
References
(incomplete)